French minister Marlène Schiappa, aged 40, came under heavy criticism for her decision to appear on the front cover of Playboy magazine, news sources reported on Sunday. Schiappa, who serves as minister for social economy and associations in Emmanuel Macron's government, will appear fully clothed in the French edition of the magazine.
Schiappa tweeted the day before that she is "defending the right of women to do what they want with their bodies."
Défendre le droit des femmes à disposer de leurs corps, c’est partout et tout le temps. En France, les femmes sont libres. N’en déplaise aux rétrogrades et aux hypocrites.#Playboy
— MarleneSchiappa (@MarleneSchiappa) April 1, 2023
Members from Schiappa's party also criticized her decision
Her decision to appear in the magazine was harshly criticized by other French politicians, including by members of her party, according to CNN. This comes amidst strikes and protests by French citizens over the government's decision to raise the state pension age from 62 to 64.
Schiappa is said to be the "most Playboy compatible of her colleagues," according to Sky News quoting the opinion of French Playboy editor Jean-Christophe Florentin.
Invité ce matin sur Europe1 le Ministre de l’intérieur @GDarmanin apporte son soutien à @MarleneSchiappa sur sa Une Une de #playboy. Il cite Cookie Dingler : « vous ne me ferez pas dire de mal de Marlène Schiappa (…) être une femme libérée, c’est pas si facile » pic.twitter.com/pz50OoQdls
— Jeanne Baron (@jeannebarontv) April 2, 2023
She also previously served as the French Equality Minister in 2017, where she spearheaded a new law that would fine those who catcall others on the street.
The magazine featuring the French minister will be available to purchase later this week. It will also include a 12-page interview that she did on supporting women's and LGBTQ+ rights and abortion, media sources reported.